Thai Beef Salad

This was actually a Sirloin Steak which I cut the Paddywhack from. Old butchery skills, but nobody wants that bit of gristle in their salad! It cost £3.49, but we had everything else in store which had been budgeted for in other recipes. So I declare this little summery feast “In Budget”. Carrying forward left-overs isn’t really cheating. It’s part of the way we minimize waste and choose what we’ll eat on a daily basis.

Ingredients:-

Dressing:-


2 Birds Eye Chillies, finely diced
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp of Coriander stems, finely chopped
2 Tsp of Sugar
2 Tbsp of Fish Sauce
3 Tbsp of Lime Juice
1 Tsp of Sesame Oil
1 Lemon Grass, finely chopped
Salt


Steak:-

A Sirloin Steak, with the tough bit of sinew cut off ( Paddywhack as we called it in the butchers)
1 Tbsp of Oil to fry
Salt and fresh ground Pepper to season

Salad:-

Mixed Lettuce Leaves
8 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 Red Onion, finely sliced
1/2 A Cucumber, cut lengthways and rolled
A Handful of Coriander leaved, chopped
A Handful of Mint  leaves, chopped


To Garnish:-

A handful of Peanuts, chopped
Chopped Mint & Coriander leaves
1 Shallot, finely sliced and fried until crispy

Method:-

(1) Blend the Coriander stems, Chilli, Garlic Salt and Lemongrass until you have a smooth paste. We actually used our Pestle and Mortar .
(2) Set aside.
(3) Oil and Season the Steak and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
(4) Fry over a high heat until seared on both sides, but still pink in the middle.
(5) Set aside to rest.
(6) Combine the salad ingredients and add to bowls.
(7) To the paste (1 above) add the Sugar, Fish Sauce, Lime Juice and Sesame Oil. Mix will.
(8) Slice the Steak into 5mm strips and arrange over the Salad.
(9) Pour over the dressing (7 above).
(10) Garnish with Mint, Coriander and copped Peanuts.
(11) Sprinkle the fried Shallot over the top.

The Fish Sauce and Sesame Oil combination in this dish really worked. The recipe sounds complicated, but it’s really not.